1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hinge apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a hinge apparatus for connecting a plurality of electronic apparatus in a plurality of rotational directions so that those electronic apparatus can be rotated relative to each other, and a wiring member adopted to the hinge apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a separately prepared small-sized electronic apparatus such as a display unit is connected, in a rotatable manner, to portable electronic apparatus that can be carried and used by a user such as a photographing apparatus, a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a notebook computer, a portable audio/video playing apparatus, among other devices. The display unit includes a display panel such as an liquid crystal display (LCD) for use in video playing, and the display unit is connected, in a rotatable manner in at least one direction, to the portable apparatus body by means of a hinge apparatus. The rotatable connection is provided so that a user can watch an image played on the display panel when the portable electronic apparatus is positioned in a variety of postures.
FIG. 1 is an exemplary illustration of a composite photographing apparatus 100 which is used both for a camcorder and a digital still camera in which a display unit 120 is installed in a rotatable manner as an example of the portable electronic apparatus described above.
Referring to FIG. 1, the photographing apparatus 100 includes a portable apparatus body 110 and a display unit 120 connected in a rotatable manner, to one side of the portable apparatus body 110, by a hinge apparatus 130. The portable apparatus body 110 includes an optical unit 113, for photographing an object and an operating button 115. The display unit 120 includes a display operating part 122 (refer to FIG. 3) and a casing 125 for enclosing the outline of the display operating part 122. The display operating part 122 has a display panel 123 for playing an image, and an operating board 126 (refer to FIG. 3).
FIG. 2 is an exemplary illustration of a conventional hinge apparatus for connecting the display unit 120 to the portable apparatus body 110, so that the display unit 120 can be rotated around two axes X, Y as a center of rotation.
Referring to FIG. 2, the conventional hinge apparatus 130 includes the first hinge part 131 that is connected, in a rotatable manner, to one side of the portable apparatus body 110 (refer to FIG. 1), a second hinge part 135 that is fixed in one side of the display unit 120 (refer to FIG. 1) and is connected, in a rotatable manner, to the first hinge part 131. Additionally, a connector 141 is separately provided to an end of a wiring member 140 to connect with the display operating part 122 of the display unit 120.
The first hinge part 131 connects the display unit 120 to the portable apparatus body 110 in a rotatable manner so that they can be rotated in a first and the second rotational directions (a, b) that open and close around the X-axis as a center of rotation. The X-axis extends along the primary axis of the first hinge axis 132. The second hinge part 135 connects the display unit 120 to the portable apparatus body 110 in a rotatable manner so that they can also be rotated in a third and fourth rotational directions (c, d) around the Y-axis as a center of rotation. The Y-axis extends along the primary axis of the second hinge axis 136. The display unit 120 can be rotated to a predetermined angle in an opening direction (a) from a closed position in which the display unit 120 was received in a reception part 117. Generally, the hinge axes 132, 136 are so arranged that such X-axis and Y-axis are substantially perpendicular to each other.
A conventional hinge apparatus 130 having the foregoing construction makes the display unit 120 rotatable in a plurality of directions with respect to the portable apparatus body 110. Therefore, a user can conveniently watch an image played on the display panel 123 even when using the photographing apparatus 100 positioned in various postures. Also, the conventional hinge apparatus 130 prevents the wiring member 140 from being exposed to the outside of the photographing apparatus 100, by inserting the wire-shaped wiring member 140 into the through holes 132a, 136a of the first and the second hinge axes 132, 136. Therefore, appearance of the photographing apparatus 100 becomes neat and clean and destruction of the wiring member 140, which could be generated when the wiring member 140 is exposed to the outside, is prevented.
In such a conventional hinge apparatus 130, however, there exists an inconvenience in that the through holes 132a, 136a should be formed on the first and the second hinge axes 132, 136, respectively, in order to connect the display unit 12 to the portable apparatus body 110 so that signal transfer may be mutually possible. Further, the wire-shaped wiring member 140 should be inserted into those through holes 132a, 136a. 
As the amount of information exchanged through the wiring member 140 between the display unit 120 and the portable apparatus body 110 increases, however, the portable apparatus 100 is required to have a sufficiently thick wiring member 140 and a large connector 141. Therefore, the manufacturing process of the portable apparatus 100 becomes cumbersome and, accordingly, it becomes difficult to provide a compact portable electronic apparatus. Also, the larger the rotational range of the display unit 120 is set, the greater the possibility that the wire-shaped wiring member 140 can be destroyed. Therefore, it is not easy to extend the rotational range of the display unit 120.